ISLAMABAD: The Mobile Phone Traders’ Association on Wednesday demanded that the deadline for blocking imported phones be extended by another month or two as a large number of dealers have placed orders for imported mobile phones. Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club, the association’s Central President Munir Baig Mirza said dealers […]

ISLAMABAD: Succumbing to pressure from some lawmakers, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has extended indefinitely the Oct 20 deadline for registration of mobile phones. After the Senate Standing Committee on information technology directed the PTA not to block mobile phones until the committee approved its Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) mechanism, the authority […]

ISLAMABAD: In an attempt to curb illegal import of mobile devices, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has started to send messages through Short Messaging Service (SMS) to all mobile subscribers to create public awareness about Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS). Any mobile device that reflects non-compliant status after October 20 would be blocked in accordance […]

There has been a clear deterioration in the safety of journalists, the problem of impunity and of freedom of expression online. These were the main findings of the report submitted to the 120th session of UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva by Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in collaboration with IFEX, the global network defending and […]

KARACHI: In a sign that Pakistan is fast catching up with the global trend, the explosive growth of mobile broadband, such as third-generation (3G) and 4G or long-term evolution (LTE) technologies, has changed dynamics of the country’s broadband market. Almost non-existent two years ago, the high-speed mobile internet now accounts for 88% of the broadband […]

ACCORDING to the visionaries at the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom (MOITT), an ideal telecom and IT policy space in Pakistan would have Section 34 from the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill (PECB) in existence as law, with all other laws and policies in the IT and telecom space reflecting it. This is exactly […]

KARACHI: In a move that is likely to reignite the debate over internet censorship in the country, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PAT) has included many conventional and porn-free websites in a list of domains to be blocked as part of its drive against pornography. In January, the telecom sector’s regulatory body directed internet service providers (ISPs) […]

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has finally admitted that it is virtually impossible to block all offensive websites as hundreds of sites emerge every day and even if blocked these may be accessed through proxy sites. In its reply submitted to the top court, the PTA has expressed reservations over the continuous blockade of […]

ON Jan 12, 2016, Google launched localised versions of YouTube in three countries. Pakistan was one of them. On Jan 18, PTA issued a directive to internet service providers to lift the ban on YouTube. This brought the over three-year ban to an end. On the subject of localisation, when in 2013 the Lahore High […]

ISLAMABAD: It has been 10 days since access to YouTube in Pakistan was reopened, but local producers of the content for the popular video-sharing website continue to worry when the axe will fall next and how. They say they are confused because the agreement between Google and the government of Pakistan, that unblocked YouTube after […]

KARACHI: Pakistan is preparing to launch a major crackdown on internet pornography after its telecom regulator ordered internet service providers on Monday to block access to more than 400,000 adult websites. Acess to sites featuring smut and pornographic material will be restricted at the domain level, sources familiar with the development confirmed this to The […]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) officials believe that terrorists who attacked the Bacha Khan University on Wednesday were either using SIMs issued by Pakistani cellular companies or a satellite phone as there is no possibility of using Afghan SIMs in Charsadda. “It is 100% confirmed and has been re-verified that roaming of Afghan SIMs in […]

KARACHI: The Pakistani internet community is celebrating the reincarnation of YouTube, but there are those who have taken the ban reversal personally. After all, the ban, imposed on the world’s largest video-sharing website in September 2012, meant there was a vacuum waiting to be filled. These Pakistanis launched local proxies to counter the ban, meaning […]

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has rejected the reports published in a section of media regarding free and unchecked use of Afghan SIMs and clarified that efforts were being made to address the issue. In a clarification statement on Friday, the PTI made it clear that the PTA had approached Afghan embassy in Pakistan through […]